Do you love the back-to-school time of year? I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, it’s nice to have the house all to myself during the day (and the dog!) and sometimes it feels good to be back in a routine.
But does it really?
Being a summer girl through and through, I love the lazy-type feeling of a hot, sunny summer day. No homework for the kids, no forms to fill out for me or meetings, progress reports or the endless amount of emails that the school year always brings. It makes parenting so much easier and lets me say “yes” more often. Want to have a sleepover in the middle of the week? Do it. You want to go to “the ledge” or (fill-in the blank a place where teenagers like to go) with your buddies? Have a blast! Sleep til noon? Perfect.
Once we get back to school, the upside is that it always feels like a new beginning. For them and for me. My boys are in 11th grade and 8th grade – both important years (11th grade is the start of the college process and in Chicago, 8th grade is filled with testing and applications for high school.) The new year brings the hope of good things to come. And while these things seem to be coming a little quicker than I had anticipated, I’m excited for what the future holds for them.
Speaking of new beginnings, I was fortunate to photograph this family as they welcome their newest addition. Lately, I’ve been finding that I really love to photograph families in their homes. I find that often, people are more comfortable but it also tells a more authentic story about their life. And isn’t that the point of family photos? To tell the story of your family?
Here are a few favorites – you can check out more on my instagram and facebook page.
